Kathleen Vancleef

I am passionate about translational research in the domain of visual perception. With my work, I want to improve the life of people with brain damage. Many adult patients struggle with vision problems after they had a stroke. Children with perinatal brain damage can have deficits in visual perception too. This is often called Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI). Nowadays, it is the most common cause of blindness certificates. At the moment it is difficult for clinicians to pick up these vision problems because they have few suitable assessment methods. This means many vision problems are never diagnosed.

With my basic research I want to understand how the brain structures visual information. The results from my basic research projects have inspired me in the development of L-POST, CVIT 3-6, and ASTEROID. These are computerised vision tests for brain-damaged adults, children with Cerebral Visual Impairment and children with amblyopia (lazy eye). The tests have a large impact in the scientific and clinical community. To see an example, please visit www.gestaltrevision.be/tests

At the University of Oxford, I am working on improving screening for visual perception problems in acute stroke patients. I aim to develop a visual perception screening test. I also research how visual perception problems impact daily life of stroke survivors. My work is supported by the Stroke Association.

I collaborate with partners at University of Leuven (Prof Els Ortibus and Prof Johan Wagemans) and Bartimeus (Irmgard Bals). The projects with them focus on improving diagnosis and rehabilitation of children with CVI.